CLEANING BAY IS A DRAG

CYPREMORT POINT — Lost crab traps, rusting fuel tanks, sunken boats and uprooted trees are some of the items being recovered in an effort to clear local waterways impacted by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is using a $3.7 million federal grant to remove debris from 400 square miles of coastal water bottoms. Crews are working to clear 112 square miles of Vermilion and Cote Blanche bays off the coast of Vermilion, Iberia and St. Mary parishes.

On Tuesday, two boats dragged the bay searching for debris. One worked to dislodge a giant fuel tank from the mud, while another hauled in a 12-foot tree trunk covered in barnacles.

“We’ll use hooks, straps — whatever we need to use,” said Dan Rackard, marine operations manager for CrowderGulf, the contractor overseeing the project. “They’ll break it free from the bottom and haul it back in.”

Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist Martin Bourgeois said the cleanup in Vermilion and Cote Blanche bays encompasses 28 four-square-mile grids.

Contractors use side-scan SONAR to identify and pinpoint the location of debris.

Cleanup crews then use GPS coordinates to navigate to a specific site and drag for the item.

Bourgeois said local fishermen and charter boat operators have been hired to perform much of the cleanup work.

“Our fishermen are good, but when it comes to this type of work, none have had much previous experience,” he said. “It’s kind of a learning curve, but they have gotten pretty proficient at debris recovery.”

Most of the debris recovered consists of pilings, trees and abandoned crab traps.

Workers also have pulled up two large fuel tanks, including an 8-foot tall, 2,100-gallon tank that bore scars from being struck by several boats.

“From the fishermen’s perspective, these hazards damage fishing gear, which is an out-of-pocket expense,” Bourgeois said. “So the removal of this stuff kind of helps the economic vibrancy of the community.”

Bourgeois said the work has an environmental benefit, as well. Debris removal helps rehabilitate oyster beds and shrimping grounds, he said.

Bourgeois said the work in the central part of the state is expected to last several more weeks. Crews have already worked to clear 300 square miles in Calcasieu Lake, Lake Borgne, Lake St. Catherine and Lake Ponchartrain.

Similar removal projects have been performed with funds from the state Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Bourgeois said the state Department of Natural Resources launched a Web site, www.louisianamarinedebris.com, for fishermen to report obstructions in the favorite fishing spots. Residents can also call 1-866-579-4DNR.